Wireless communication device using a single clock signal and method of operating the same

Abstract

A wireless communications network participant comprising: a plurality of communications subsystems, each subsystem being arranged to transmit and/or receive signals under a different telecommunications standard; means for generating a clock signal; and scheduling means for sending commands to at least one of the subsystems for its or their operation, the scheduling means deducing the timing of the commands relative to the clock signal.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A wireless communications network device comprising:
 a plurality of communications subsystems, each subsystem being arranged to transmit and/or receive signals under a different telecommunications standard; 
 a single clock for generating a single timing signal; and 
 a scheduler for sending commands to at least one of the subsystems for its or their operation, the scheduler deducing the timing of the commands relative to the single timing signal. 
 
     
     
       2. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein several subsystems each receive commands from the scheduler on the basis of the single timing signal. 
     
     
       3. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein the single timing signal is matched to at least one of the subsystems and the or each matched subsystem is arranged to utilize the single timing signal without the intermediary of the scheduler. 
     
     
       4. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein one of said subsystems is a GSM subsystem and another is a UMTS subsystem. 
     
     
       5. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to determine and record offsets between a first time of the single timing signal and a time of respective boundaries of frame structures of signals received from different base stations. 
     
     
       6. A wireless communications network device comprising:
 a clock configured to generate a single clock signal; 
 a plurality of communications subsystems, each subsystem being arranged to transmit and/or receive signals under a different telecommunications standard; and 
 a scheduler for sending commands to at least one of the subsystems for its or their operation, the scheduler receiving the single clock signal and deducing the timing of the commands relative to the single clock signal, 
 wherein at least one of the subsystems receives the single clock signal directly from the clock without interaction with the scheduler. 
 
     
     
       7. A device according to  claim 6 , wherein several subsystems each receive commands from the scheduler on the basis of the single clock signal. 
     
     
       8. A device according to  claim 6 , wherein one of said subsystems is a GSM subsystem and another is a UMTS subsystem. 
     
     
       9. A device according to  claim 6 , wherein the device is configured to determine and record offsets between a first time of the single timing signal and a time of respective boundaries of frame structures of signals received from different base stations.